


Under the Mistletoe

by nychus



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Ignis Fluff Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-14 00:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12995724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nychus/pseuds/nychus
Summary: Mistletoe around the Citadel could be a dangerous thing to get caught under.





	Under the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4: Ignis Fluff Week - Happier World/Happy Holiday Ignis

“Careful boys! You don’t want to get caught under the mistletoe.”

Ignis and Noctis stopped and looked back to Marguerite, who was following them as they ran around the Citadel looking at the winter decorations going up.

“What’s mistletoe?” Ignis asked the nurse.

With a smile, Marguerite answered with a point. Both boys followed her finger until the saw a little bundle of leaves and berries hanging from one of the ceiling lights. “That’s mistletoe.”

“If it’s dangerous, why is it hanging up?” Ignis asked. He was confused as to why something that they needed to be careful of would be in such a prominent place. A quick glance at Noctis showed the younger boy was thinking the same thing.

Laughing, Marguerite said, “It’s not dangerous. But if you get caught standing under it, you’ll be kissed.”

The boys screwed their faces up in disgust. “Eww, why?” Noctis asked.

“Tradition.”

“That’s a stupid tradition.”

Marguerite was having fun with this, Ignis could tell. The wide smile on her face as she edged closer to the strange plant was all he needed to see to know she was going to try to get them to stand under it. Well, he wasn’t going to fall for a trick like that.

“The story goes that there was an old hero of Solhiem that was beloved by all. He was so loved that Shiva herself asked all the things on Eos, rock and wood, metal and fire, beasts and diseases to keep him safe and all those asked agreed. The hero couldn’t be hurt by anything shot or thrown at him. Another man grew jealous and soon discovered that mistletoe, tiny and forgotten mistletoe was never asked to keep the promise. The hero was killed when an arrow made of mistletoe was shot by the jealous man. Shiva wept for the hero—some stories say he was her son—and her tears became the white berries we see. Shiva never wanted mistletoe to be used for evil again, so we put in places easy to see so it can never be forgotten and we kiss under it to spread love.”

“Woah,” Noctis said, staring up at the mistletoe. He walked closer to it for a better look and soon he was right underneath it.

Ignis wasn’t sure what possessed him, but as soon as the prince was under the mistletoe, he quickly went to him, planted a kiss on his cheek, and took off running. Noctis screeched indignantly and ran after Ignis, shouting, “Iggy! GROSS! IGGY!” much to the amusement of Marguerite and any other who happened to be in the vicinity.

It became a game during the rest of the festival season. If one could unwittingly get the other under mistletoe, there would be a quick kiss before dashing off. Everyone thought it was cute that the two little boys would chase after each other that way. How sweet it was they were so close to each other.

The following year, Ignis had long figured the game was only a one year thing only to be surprised when a young prince managed to give a quick kiss at the first sign of mistletoe before running down the hall. The game, it seemed, was still on. This time, they decided to keep score to see who could get the most kisses in, but after the first few, the scoreboard was left forgotten.

Ignis managed to get the first kiss in the following two years, but figured the game was done the season they were 9 and 10. It was the first winter after the Marilith and Noctis had lost so much of that innocence and joy he once had. He had suffered the attack from the daemon and then the attack on Tenebrae. Ignis didn’t blame him for being despondent afterward.

Even though Noctis spent less time roaming the Citadel halls with Ignis, they did find themselves walking past the servants putting up the first of the decorations one day. They stopped to watch as snowflakes and lights and other wintery items were being placed. Ignis was aware they had stopped near enough the mistletoe one could argue they were under it, but pretended not to notice. He was shocked when beside him he felt Noctis stretch on his tip-toes to give the first kiss of the season. Ignis turned to look at Noctis and saw a soft smile playing on his lips before he said, “Gotcha.” There was no running off, Noctis was still too weak for that, but it didn’t matter. The game continued, that was what counted.

As they grew older, Ignis started over-thinking the game. He realized that it had long past the cute stage of two little boys chasing each other and now could have consequences if the wrong person saw their game. Sure, it was still just quick pecks on the cheek, but they were teenagers now, it was becoming inappropriate.

At 14 and 15, Noctis overheard some servants talking about the kissing game and how un-prince-like it was. Rumors would start soon, one of the servants said, that the adviser was taking advantage of the prince. This was after the first kiss of the season, but Noctis thought he was better not to play anymore.

The next year, as Ignis simultaneously regretted the end of the game and was thankful for it (he was at this point positive his feelings for the prince were not totally professional), Noctis still managed to pull him under the mistletoe for that quick kiss.

“I thought we were too old,” Ignis said.

Noctis shrugged, “It’s tradition.”

As the prince smirked and then turned away, it took all Ignis had to not pull him back for a proper kiss.

The next couple of years saw the game start and end with the first kiss, but the stealth that went into pulling the other away from prying eyes made it all the more fun.

When Noctis was 19 and doing much better as a prince than a royal brat, he and Ignis were walking back to his apartments in the Citadel after a big party. Noctis didn’t often stay in the Citadel, but it was late and he was a little inebriated (Ignis had admonished him for drinking the champaign so fast, but he insisted it was needed before going off to dance with some councilman’s daughter). As they walked through the halls, the decorations became sparser but there was a sprig of mistletoe between them and Noctis’s rooms. Both knew about it—both had actively avoided it—but Ignis wasn’t going to attempt the game while Noctis wasn’t in his complete right of mind.

Noctis, however, had other plans. As soon as they were under the mistletoe, Noctis stopped, grabbed Ignis’s wrist to keep him from moving forward, and then spun him around so they were facing each other. Ignis was dazed at the quick movement, but he was soon very aware of the prince leaning up to his face and kissing him on the lips. It was little longer than a peck but it was still over too quickly.

Noctis settled back on the whole of his feet as he watched Ignis’s face. Ignis didn’t know what to think. Initially it was all sorts of nothing running through his mind other than “Noctis just kissed me,” but when the prince’s face started to shift to “oh gods I messed up” Ignis returned the favor with much more fervor.

They stood in the middle of an empty Citadel hallway sharing their first true kiss under the mistletoe.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” Noctis said.

“Me too.”

When Ignis was 22 and the festival season rolled around again, there was so much more to celebrate. The war with Niflheim and finally come to its conclusion after a short but very intense period. Espionage was rooted out of the Citadel, Crownsguard and loyal Kingsglaive had to fight without magicks, and there was a period where it seemed both king and prince were dead along with their closest guard. In truth, Regis had allowed the Empire to think they had won while sneaking the Oracle to the Accursed where she used all her power to purge the scourge that embodied him. The empire fell and the rest of the world had reason to celebrate.

It was the party held in the largest ballroom of the Citadel where guests from all across the world, including those from Niflheim who had helped with the war efforts. The guests were expecting Prince Noctis to officially propose to Princess Lunafreya now that their arranged marriage was dropped due to the war.

Everyone, save for those closest to the all parties involved, was surprised when Crown Prince Noctis Lucis Caleum pulled his adviser under the mistletoe to give him a passionate kiss before asking for his hand in marriage.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Norse mythology for the mistletoe legend :D


End file.
